“I really can’t taste the gin,” my wife Suzen said to me.
I was so happy. I had succeeded in my Bees Knees experiment. It’s a catchy name: Bees Knees. It’s actually slang. During Prohibition, it meant “The Best.” And this drink began to be recognized as the best. Given the circumstances.
“Bathtub gin” is synonymous with “Prohibition.” People wanted booze, people made booze, and generally they lacked finesse in their efforts. To hide the poor quality of the gin, cocktails were made with more dominant flavors. The Bees Knees was developed using citrus and honey to make an acceptable, if not grand, beverage.
In my version, the citrus stays but the honey is replaced by agave. It’s more viscous, a little less sweet, and lacking some of the over notes that are often too evident in honey. If you made this cocktail with, say, clover honey, you might encounter a disconcerting flavor.
Now, agave does have a little smokiness of its own, I acknowledge. But it’s a welcome flavor when paired with the gin and citrus. Which gin? I like Bombay Sapphire here. It has some underlying spice that pairs well in this drink. Which citrus? Lemon juice, tangy with its own inherent sweetness. You might, if you wish, experiment with lime juice.
I’ll be “liming” it for Suzi next weekend. She won’t taste the gin.
Brian’s Agave Bees Knees
Yield: 1 large cocktail
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce agave
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 2 ounces gin
- Ice
Preparation:
Put the agave, lemon juice and gin in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Shake vigorously then pour into a cocktail glass filled with ice. The agave is going to linger in the shaker, so have some patience. You may need a spoon to get out the last vestiges of the agave.
Source: Brian O’Rourke
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/4 for 1/50th second at ISO‑250